Sunlight Through the Clouds

[Update hiatus announcement: Due to unavoidable real-life circumstances, updates are paused. @Shi Tang Mei.]

[Next story: Newlywed Passion. Visit my profile to add it to your reading list.]

On her birthday, Jiang Ning bought a lottery ticket on her way home from work as a present to herself. The drawing was that night, and she won seventeen million.

The next day, still dizzy from her huge win, Jiang Ning went to the lottery office to claim her prize. She didn't disguise herself or cover her face, and in less than half an hour, her appearance had spread throughout the surrounding neighborhoods. Almost everyone knew she had won big.

It was another Monday. Jiang Ning bundled up from head to toe and went to work. The results of the physical exam her company had arranged last month had just come in.

Jiang Ning had cancer. It was terminal.

People who were jealous of her win whispered behind her back that she was too unlucky to hold on to her wealth.

After thinking it over, Jiang Ning decided against treatment. She wanted to enjoy her final days.

So Jiang Ning quit her job and decided to move somewhere new.

-

In the fifth year after Gu Jin was adopted, his adoptive parents had a biological son of their own, and Gu Jin became an awkward presence in the family.

At first, his adoptive parents felt guilty when his younger brother bullied him. Gradually, they began treating it as perfectly normal.

"I feed you and give you a place to live. What's the big deal if your brother kicks you a couple of times?"

In full view of the public, the nineteen-year-old was beaten by his adoptive father with a broom. His self-respect was trampled to pieces.

When his face began to burn with pain, Gu Jin wondered, in such a daze, what was the point of living in such misery?

Then a flash of red appeared before him, like a beam of light.

"Stop! Don't hit him!"

Gu Jin reached out and grabbed the light.

Reader's Guide:

* An older-woman/younger-man romance, but both leads are adults when they meet.

* Expect melodrama, bittersweetness, and tears if you're a softie. It's not abusive, there are no misunderstandings, and they don't break up.

* A story of mutual salvation, with little intimacy. It's mostly about their daily life together; they are the best thing in each other's lives.

* The characters aren't based on real people. The female lead's medical history is adapted from the author's own experiences, for your information.

* The story is fictional. Don't get carried away buying lottery tickets.

* Original title: Unexpected Romance

* Synopsis archived from April 4, 2022, with minor edits on the evening of August 6.

Newlywed Passion

1. On their first anniversary, Mu Yang proposed to Cheng Sang with help from his friends. The ring was already on her finger when Mu Yang's mother arrived and said, "I don't approve," turning the proposal into a farce.

Cheng Sang was determined to break up. Mu Yang begged her to give him more time, but she refused.

Cheng Sang's sixth blind date had failed too. Just as she sighed and wondered why she couldn't meet a normal man, a profile appeared in front of her.

The man gave her a gentle smile and looked refined and courteous. "Hello, Ms. Cheng. Would you be willing to go on a blind date with me?"

2. Cheng Sang married on impulse to a man she'd known for only half a day, whose name she knew was Shao Heng.

She thought life after marriage would be just as she and Shao Heng had agreed: two roommates sharing a roof, helping each other keep up appearances. She could live her own life without having to deal with pressure to get married.

But in the third month of their marriage,

Cheng Sang realized she might have fallen for Shao Heng.

3. Shao Heng fell in love with Cheng Sang at first sight. After they married, he carefully plotted at every turn to make her fall for him.

The light left on for her when she came home late.

The warm meal waiting for her.

The umbrella held out when it rained.

All Shao Heng's schemes were for nothing more than a passionate romance with Cheng Sang.

*A lively, adorable beauty x a sly, scheming older man

Theme: Don't give up when you face difficulties. Face life with a positive attitude, and you'll see a ray of hope.